Improved combined platform and windlass



-ters of reference marked thereon, similar let- UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE@ IMPROVED COMBI-NED PL ATFORM AND WINDLASS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 50,787, dated November7, 1865.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TUNIS I. BURIIYTE, of Fond du Lac, in the county ofFond du Lac, in the State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Portable Platform and VVindlass Combined; and I do herebyde- Clare that the following is a clear, full, andexact descriptionthereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to theletters indicating the same parts wherever they occur in the drawings.

The nature of my invention consists in providing a circular platform onwhich is mounted an adjustable windlass of novel construcf tion, soarranged that it can be turned to draw from any direction withoutturning or moving the platform itself, and in hinging the platform andproviding'it with wheels, so that it can be transported with facility. j

It further consists in an anchor of novel construction for holding theplatform, and providing said anchor with an apparatus for drawing thestakes that hohl it ont of the ground.

To enable others skilled in the art to construct and use my improvedapparatus, I will proceed to describe it.

Figure 1 is a top-plan view of the platform and windlass. Fig. 2 is aside view of the same. Fig. 3 is a plan View, and Fig. 4 a side view, ofthe anchor and stake-pulling apparatus'combined.

In many parts of the country, especially on the prairies of the West,where the land is oftentimes low and dat, it is found'very difficult touse a windlass for the purposes of thrashing, ditching, Src., for thereason that the horse or other animal operating it soon becomes almostmired in the soft muddy soil. To remedy this difculty temporary oors orplatforms are laid for the animal to travel on in working lthe windlass.These of course have to be taken up and moved at each removal of thewindlass, and as in ditching` by means ofa ditching plow or machine thishas to be done very frequently, it necessitates a great amount of laborand consumes much time, during which all other operations have to besuspended.

To remedy these difficulties is the object of my present invention.

I iirst construct a circular platform consisting of three or moresections, as shown by A and A of Fig. l. These sections are hingedtogether, as shown ata, in such a mannerthat it can be spread out Hat onthe ground for use and the sides A can be turned up, as shown in red inFig. 2, when desired totransport it from place to place. Upon thecentral section, A, is built a strong stationary frame consisting of theposts It and top B. Within this stationary frame is placed a revolvingframe, E, the bottom piece, r, of which is made circular and is iittedinto a corresponding recess in the platform A, which serves to hold itstronglyin place, and at the same time permits the frame E to be turnedaround, as may be desired, for purposes hereinafter explained. Withinthis frame E are mounted four vertical rollers, a, b, c, and d, airangedas shown in Fig. 1. Ihe cental roller, a, has its upper journalextending up through the top of bolli frames E and B, and has a sweep,f,attached thereto, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. On the top ot' each of therollers a, b, c, and d a cogwheel is firmly secured, as shown in Fig. l,therollers being so situated that said wheels gear into one another, asthere shown, whereby motion is transmitted from the roller a to b andjcon either side, and also from c to d.

The rollers b, c, and d are provided with grooves, as shown in Fig. 2,said grooves being of such size and distance apart that when the ropelis wound about them it is prevented from rubbing or wearing on itself,as it usually does when wound upon a smooth roller. By this means I saveimmensely in the wear of the rope used.

In using the windlass the rope is passed against the roller b, thencearound the central smooth roller, a, and back around b, two or threetimes around a and b, and passes thence between the grooved rollers cand d, where it is coiled up on the platform, as shown in Fig. l.

By having the rollersc and d press tightly upon the rope it is kept fromslipping, and I thus avoid the necessity of having a person to hold it,as is usually done in the ordinary windlass.

In order to compensate for the wear of the rope and be sure that therollers o and d shall hold it tight, even when worn so that it isreduced in diameter, I mount the lower journal of roller d in a pi votedbearin g, t', against which a spring, e, presses, so as to keep it upagainst c, and thus at all times hold the rope rmly between them. Ifdesired, a lever or wedge may be substituted for the spring.

When the platform is to be used for drawing a movable body, such as aditching-plow, the rotating frame E is turned as shown in Fig. 2-that isto say, it is exactly reversed from what it is in Fig. l. One end 'ofthe cable or rope, being secured to the platform at m, is passed back toa pulley attached to the object to be moved, thence around the pulley atm, back around the pulley behind, and from thence around the Windlass,as previously described. After the object has been thus moved up to theplatform, and it becomes necessary to move the latter forward, the frameE is turned half around again to the position shown in Fig. 1, and therope attached to the anchor D is then applied to the windlass, one ormore pulleys being used, as may be desired. When thus arranged theanimal on the platform is started,

. and the platform, with the animal upon it, is

thus drawn up to the anchor D, after which the frameE is reversed again,andthe object behind again moved forward to the platform, and thus theoperation is continued to any desired extent.

Another advantage of having the Windlass rotateas described, is thatwithout moving or turning the platform an object can be drawn toward itfrom any direction and the grooved rollers used, as described. lnditching especially it is frequently desirable to draw the inachineclose up into the corner of a field or close alongside of a building,tree, or other stationary object, and this can readily be done byturning the windlass so as to allow the rope to pass out around a pulleyor snatch-block secured nea-r the side of the platform.

When the platform is intended to be used with thrashing-machines Iprovide it with wheels, as shown in red in Fig. 2, these wheels beingmounted on axles, which reach across the central section, A, the sides Abeing turned up and secured, in which position it ycan be hauled by ateam, the same as a wagon.

The anchor consists of a triangular frame,

D, as shown in Fig. 1. At the rear ofthis fra-me Aa roller, m,is-mounted in the supports k, the latter being inclined, as shown inFig. 2, so

that when the stakes o are driven into the ground to hold the anchor,their upper ends are locked against the inside of said roller, whichthereby prevents the stakes from being drawn over and pulled out ofthevground. As these stakes are necessarily driven deeply into theground, it is frequently difficult to get them out again. I thereforeuse the Windlass or roller m' for that purpose. I fasten a chain or ropeto the stake near the ground and pass it thence around the roller m', asshown in Fig. 2. By inserting a lever in to a hole in the roller m andturning the latter the chain tis Wound around it, and thus pulls thestake up out of the ground. As more or less stakes have to be used tosecure the platform in place, I also construct a small portable windlasson the same plan for pulling them. By these means a boy can draw thestakes with ease, and when not in use the small stake-puller may be seton the platform and moved with it.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim isl. A platformhinged and mounted on Wheels for the purpose of moving it, substantiallyas shown and described.

2. The rollers a, b, o, and d, provided with cog-Wheels, and having thegrooves for keeping the coils of rope separate, substantially as and forthe purpose set forth.

3. The reversible frame E, in combination with the platform, as shownand described.

4. Mounting one of the rollers c or d in an adjustable bearing, .as andfor the purpose set forth.

5. The anchor D, constructed as shown, and arranged to operate incombination with the movable platform, as herein set forth.

TUNIS l. BURHYTE.

Witnesses:

W. G. DODGE, M. G. MITCHELL.

